The Sages taught that when one does Teshuva from fear, he could transform his deliberate sins into mistakes, which demand a lower level of forgiveness. However, when one returns to God in love and a desire to be close and repair any damage to the relationship,
At the sin of the Golden Calf, Israel lapsed only in thought; the action part of the sin was done by the "erev rav", the mixed multitude. Thought without act is considered half a deed, therefore,
At the sin of the Golden Calf, Israel lapsed only in thought; the action part of the sin was done by the "erev rav", the mixed multitude. Thought without act is considered half a deed, therefore,
The Half-Shekel was the atonement for the sin of the Golden Calf. However, all those who sinned were killed, which means that the Shekalim applied to those who survived.